The Rogue Jedi
by Rogue Leader Solo
Summary: What if Revan managed to escape from the True Sith and did not return to the Republic as a Sith Lord, but as a Grey Jedi? One thing is certain: Padawan Bastila Shan is about to be swept off her feet.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: The Meeting**

Bastila sighed as she and her companions walked down the streets of Taris' Lower City. They were headed for the base of the swoop gang; The Hidden Beks. The leader of the Beks, one Gaddon Thek, had agreed to help them get off the planet after they had aided in making the Lower City safe again by wiping out the terrorist swoop gang; The Black Vulkers. It hadn't been easy but she and her ragtag group had managed to kill the leader of the Vulkars: Brejik. Bastila glanced at her companions, they were certainly an odd group: Mission Vao: a 14 year old Twi'lek who was a master slicer and a fair technician, Zalbaar: a Wookie who was a very good scout and very handy with a bowcaster or a vibrosword, Carth Onasi: a middle aged human who was an expert pilot and a fair shot with his blaster pistol, Canderous Ordo: An older Mandalorian that was an expert with both his vibrosword and his heavy repeating blaster and had served alongside the ex-hero of the Republic; Revan, there was also Trask Ulgo: a young, somewhat greenhorn republic soldier but a fair shot with a blaster rifle. And then there was her: Bastila Shan: a 21 year old Jedi Sentinel Padawan who was a practitioner of the double-sided lightsaber and the only living Jedi to have a Force power known as Battle Meditation; a power that bolstered her allies' moral and weakened the moral of her enemies.

She was skilled but even she was not invincible; she as well as Carth and Trask had been lucky to survive the surprise attack that had put them in their current situation. They had been on a scouting mission aboard the republic ship th _Endar Spire_ when they had been ambushed over the Sith controlled planet of Taris. The attack had been so perfectly executed that Bastila, Carth, and Trask had barely made it to the escape pod in time. After crash landing, the three had set out to find a way off planet. Along the way they had met Mission and Zalbaar in the Undercity and had saved them from Gammorian slavers (Zalbaar had very nearly swore a lifedebt to Bastila but she had managed to convince him not to. Even so, the Wookie had decided to stay with them. Mission had stayed with her friend and the three became five.). After forming an alliance with Gaddon Thek, they had run into Canderous who had recognized Carth and much to Carth's joy and Bastila and Trask's displeasure, Canderous stuck with them and had saved all their lives on more than one occasion during their quest to take down Brejik. Canderous and Carth trusted each other with their lives which Bastila found odd considering that Canderous was a Mandalorian and the Republic had just ended a brutal war with his people. Canderous had been the only Mandalorian who had defected to Revan's side, believing that the Mandalorian clans were acting without honor and disgracefully. His information had helped the Republic win many a battle. But after Revan and Malak had disappeared, Canderous had found his way to Taris, refusing to take part in the current war against Malak. Revan had not returned and Malak had returned with a seemingly unstoppable armada bent on conquering the Republic.

"Thinkin' about something Bastila?" Carth asked, bringing Bastila back to the present.

"Just remembering how we all came together." She answered. As the group turned around a corner they came across a scene of conflict: A clean shaven man dressed in a grey overcoat with short cloak coverings over the sleeves and back, a wrist comlink was covering one sleeve wrist, holding the sleeve so that it didn't get in the way, a wrist personal shield emitter did the same on the other wrist, a lightly armored spacer's outfit, and a grey wide brimmed hat was standing off against several rough looking thugs.

"Exchange muscle." Canderous said as he hefted his repeater. "Hmm, six against one. It ain't gonna be pretty."

"What do you mean, Canderous?" Trask asked.

"Those fools are trying to shake that man down." Carth said, "But I'd wager that they've bitten off more than they can chew."

"What do you mean by…" Bastila said as the stranger suddenly exploded into action. Punching the closest thug, a rodian, in the gut, the man used the doubled over alien as a spring board and launched himself into the air, drawing a pair of strange looking blaster pistols from their quick-draw holsters on his thighs at the same time, and blasted his 'springboard'. Landing away from the thugs, the man casually proceeded to gun down all the thugs, while dodging all the blaster blots and sword strikes that were thrown at him. Bastila gasped in surprise; the man was using the Force! As the last thug dropped dead, the man spun the blasters around his trigger fingers twice and holstered them. He then proceeded to examine the dead bodies as Bastila and her group approached.

"Have you no respect for the dead?" Trask demanded as they approached.

"They ain't gonna need credits in the afterlife." The man said without looking up. "Besides, I won so their valuables are mine now."

"That was a most impressive display." Carth commented. "Where did you learn to shoot like that?"

"In my business you either learn how to shoot good or you don't last long." The man said as he pocketed the credits and stood up. Bastila had to restrain the urge to gasp; the man was _Handsome_! But… NO! She had to resist. She was a Jedi and as Master Vrook had always told her: emotions were what caused Revan and Malak to ignore the wisdom of the council and go to war.

"Well, well, well." The man let out a low whistle. "A Wookie, a Twi'lek, a Mandalorian, two Republic officers, and a Jedi! That's something you don't see every day on Taris."

The whole group tensed; Carth's hand drifted down to his blaster pistol, Bastila reached for her double-blade, Canderous hefted his repeater, Trask fingered his rifle, Zalbaar reached for his vibroblade, and Mission reached for her blaster pistol. All prepared to attack and were completely unprepared for the man to start laughing. "Easy, easy." He chuckled, "I ain't about to tell anyone about ya. But you might want to put a little more effort into concealing who you are, especially you Princess."

"How did you know that we're with the Republic?" Bastila demanded, her hand grasping the hilt of her lightsaber.

The man snorted, "That rifle and pistol are only issued to Republic troops. Malak hasn't left any of his Dark Jedi on this planet that I know of, so that makes you a Jedi. Also those comlinks are standard issue Republic Navy. The Sith here are really dumb if they couldn't figure it out." He shrugged. "It ain't my business what you're doin' but if you want my advice; you might want to do a better job at hiding who you are." The man turned and walked off towards Javyar's Cantina. "I wish you luck though. The Republic needs it's ace in the hole back and fast." He said over his shoulder.

"What!" Bastila and the group were stunned. The man had recognized Bastila and if some random spacer could, who else might be able to?

"We'd better get to Gaddon and fast!" Bastila said.

"Should we kill that man?" Canderous asked, "He knows too much."

"No Mandalorian." Bastila said with a shake of her head. "I doubt he will tell the Sith."

"Why do you say that?" Mission asked.

/I agree with Canderous. That man knows too much./ Zalbaar also expressed his concern.

"That man was Force Sensitive and I doubt if he wants to attract their attention just to claim a small reward." Bastila said "Besides we need a way to get off planet and Gaddon mentioned that he knew someone that might be able to do it."

The group set out once again, reaching the Bek's base with no more incidents. Once they were inside they made their way to Gaddon and his overzealous bodyguard; Zaerdra. "You've returned! Did you manage to kill Brejik?" Gaddon asked.

"Yeah, Yeah, we took care of that insolent bastard." Canderous snapped, "Now it's time for you to fill your end of the bargain. You said you knew someone who could get us off planet. Well who is it?"

"I did say that didn't I? Well the truth is I know someone who _might_ be able to get you off Taris." Gaddon said.

"You mean that we had to be your thugs and you don't even know if this person can get us off this huttspawn of a planet?" Trask practically screamed, drawing the whole base's attention.

"Stand down Trask, that's an order!" Carth commanded.

"My apologies, Gaddon." Bastila attempted to defuse the situation. "But what did you mean by your statement?"

"Well this man is the best pilot I know." Gaddon said, "He's got the fastest ship in the galaxy or so he claims. He's absolutely deadly with those blaster pistols of his, a little rough around the edges, but there's no one better to have guarding your back."

"Cut the crap Gaddon!" Canderous ordered "Where and Who?"

"You'll most likely find him in Javyar's Cantina about now." Gaddon said, "I don't know his real name but he goes by the alias 'Captain'. Just ask the Bartender and he'll point you in the right direction. A word of warning though, he's not to be taken lightly, I've seen him take out an entire battalion of Sith soldiers by himself with nothing but his two blaster pistols."

"Thank you Gaddon Thek." Bastila bowed and the group left the base.

Gaddon leaned back in his chair, watching the group exit. "Do you think it's wise to send them to him for help?" Zaerdra asked.

"You know as well as I that he's their best chance, Zaerdra." Gaddon sighed "Besides, I have a feeling that they're gonna need help that only he can give."

"I just hope you haven't sent Mission to her death." Zaerdra said "You forgot to mention that he was the one who killed the most dangerous assassin on Taris and took out Davik Kang both in the same week."

"I know, but those feats are or were supposed to be impossible. If he could do that, I think getting them off Taris will be easy for him."

"Excuse me. Could you tell me where I might find the man known as 'Captain'?" Bastila asked the Bith bartender.

The Bartender was so startled that he dropped the glass he was cleaning. /And what might you want with the Captain?/ he asked slowly and in a hushed voice.

"That's none of your business." Canderous snarled, "Just tell us where he is."

The bartender shook his head. /I'm sorry but I cannot tell you anything./

Bastila sighed and waved her hand ever so slightly. Drawing on the power of the Force, she said in a monotone, "You will tell us what you know."

The Bith repeated in a similar monotone /I will tell you what I know./ The Bith glanced around to make sure that no one was listening /I probably shouldn't tell you this, but you just missed him. He left for the Under City not too long ago. He mentioned something about helping the Outcasts with a problem. Your best bet is the Outcast village./ The bartender glanced around again. /I don't know what your business is with him but when he says anything about taking care of a problem, it usually means trouble for someone. Be careful./

"Thanks for the info." Carth said as the group headed for the door.

"Now what could be so important that this mysterious 'Captain' had to go to the Under City?" Bastila wondered aloud as they headed for the elevator that would take them to the Under City.

"Well we're gonna find out, ain't we?" Canderous said.

"Commander one thing bothers me." Trask said.

"Shut up fool!" Canderous hissed, "Do you want to bring the Sith down on us?"

"Sorry." Trask said sheepishly, "But don't you think it's odd that Gaddon's bodyguard flinched when Gaddon told us about this 'Captain' person? Also the bartender was scared to tell us about him."

"I see what you mean but we don't have any other choice." Bastila shook her head. "We're running out of time. The longer we stay here, the greater the chances are that we'll be captured."

"Bastila's right, we don't have any other options." Carth said "But I really hope that this guy'll be willing to help us."

Once they reached the Outcast village, they were shocked to find it empty. The outcasts were gone and the village gates were open.

"What happened here?" Mission asked as they stared at the deserted village.

"Do you think the Sith took them?" Trask asked as he gripped his rifle.

"Don't be an idiot boy." Canderous snorted as they walked through the empty village, "If the Sith did this then they would have used force but do you see any signs of a struggle? I sure as hell don't"

"You've got that right Canderous." Carth agreed as he placed his hand on the butt of his pistol, "But something happened here."

"Strange." Bastila said, "Do you think that this 'Captian' we keep hearing about had anything to do with it?"

Suddenly Zalbaar sniffed the air /Someone is coming./

The group tensed. "Is it the Sith?" Bastila asked as she grabbed her lightsaber.

Zalbaar shook his head, /No it is only two people and they don't smell like Sith./ He pointed in the direction of the gate. /There they are!/

Everyone looked in the direction of the gate to see two figures entering the village. Unfortunately they were too far away for anyone to make out their features. Once they were closer Bastila called out. "Who are you?"

"Miss Bastila!" The voice caused everyone to freeze. The voice sounded like the young Outcast girl they had met when they had first traveled to the village.

"Shaleena is that you?" Carth asked as the young 19 year old girl ran towards them with her companion following behind her, but he stayed in the shadows.

"Yes it's me!" Shaleena said excitedly, "It's so good to see you! But what are you doing here?"

"We could ask you the same thing." Bastila said, "What happened here?"

"Oh the village decided to find a new place to live." Shaleena said happily, "It turns out that Rukil's stories about the Promised Land were true." Carth, Bastila, and Trask smiled at the memory of the kind old man. Admitted he had seemed a little crazy when they met him. "Anyway Gendar decided that the village would be better off if they went to the Promised Land. Actually it's thanks to the Captain that Rukil was able to find the entrance." Shaleena noticed the group's reaction to her words. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Shaleena, did you say 'Captain'?" Bastila asked slowly.

"Yes why? Is he a friend of yours?"

"No but we need to find him." Bastila admitted.

"The look no further Princess, cause you found me." All eyes went to Shaleena's companion and Bastila's group gasped as the mysterious 'Captain' stepped out of the shadows.

"It's you!" Bastila exclaimed, "The spacer who recognized me!"

The spacer smirked, "Ya got that right, Princess."

"I'm no princess!" Bastila exclaimed in high indignation. Behind her back though, Carth and the rest of the group barely managed to conceal their smirks and snickers. During the entire time on Taris, Bastila's arrogance and royalty like manner had gotten them into more than one fight.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." The 'Captain' shrugged, "So what do you want with me, Princess?"

"I told you I'm not-"

"We need to get off Taris." Carth cut in, "But no one seems willing to try and run the blockade."

"And someone told you that I might be able to do it." 'Captain' grinned, "I might be willing to help you but my help has a price."

"What do you mean?" Trask demanded, "Will you help us or not?"

'Captain' looked at him and sneered, "Watch yourself boy, better men than you have challenged me and died." He turned back to Bastila, "It's not that people don't want to help you, it's just that no one can outrun the Sith's automatic targeting system. I managed to break the blockade and land here and that was only because I needed to refuel but before I could leave, the damn Sith upgraded their automatic targeting system. My ship's fast enough for you Princess. I've outrun Sith ships without breaking a sweat." His eyes glinted, "So here's the deal, you help me get the launch codes from the Sith base, and I provide you with the fastest ship in the galaxy: the _Ebon Hawk_."

Carth gasped. "That's the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs a year ago!" He looked at 'Captain'. "Were you the pilot?"

'Captain' smirked, "You bet that blaster of yours I was." He extended his hand, "So, do we have an accord?"

Bastila looked at her companions and sighed, why did this infuriating man have to be their only hope of escape? It didn't help her any that he was drop dead handsome. "Very well Captain." She shook his hand. "We have a deal."

"Good." 'Captain grinned, "Now if you don't mind, I'd prefer to discuss our plans in a more secure location. C'mon Shal, let's get out of here." He strode off towards the elevator with Shaleena right beside him. Bastila and her companions and sighed; why did she feel an impending sense of doom?


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Escape from Taris**

"That's better." 'Captain' said as he locked the door behind him. They were in an apartment in the Upper City. Shaleena had been amazed at the beauty of the sky, but before anyone got suspicious of her Outcast clothes, 'Captain' had pulled her into his apartment with Bastila and her group in tow. "Shaleena, I know that this is your first time on the surface but you need to be more careful, that Sith soldier nearly arrested you."

Shaleena cringed, "I'm sorry."

'Captain's' face softened, "It's alright Shal, you're new to this so don't worry about it." He frowned, "But we're gonna have to do something about your clothes." He walked over to a footlocker and rummaged through it. "These might be a bit big but they'll have to do for now." He handed Shaleena a common spacer's outfit: Black shin-covering boots, tight black pants, a loose white long sleeved shirt, a light brown vest, and tight black half-finger gloves; an almost exact match to his own outfit except for the wrist comlink on his left wrist, the personal shield emitter on his right wrist, and the gray overcoat and hat. "Go change in the 'fresher." He indicated the room and Shaleena left to change. "Now Let's get down to business." He sat down at the table and motioned for the others to do the same.

"Why isn't Shaleena with the rest of the Outcasts?" Mission asked as she sat.

"She asked to stay with me and I couldn't say no to such a request." 'Captain' shrugged, "Anyway we have to focus on our objective here."

Bastila could sense that there was more to the story but 'Captain' was right; they needed to focus. "So how do we get the launch codes? Any idea where they are?"

"Like I said before the codes are in the Sith base." 'Captain' said with a shrug.

"And just how are we supposed to get them?" Mission asked. "Not even I could slice that door."

/And I doubt if I could smash it down/ Zalbaar said.

"Bases aren't designed to let anybody just walk in." 'Captain' agreed, "Fortunately, I've got that part covered. My T3 unit can slice the door. But getting inside's the easy part. The hard part is finding the codes." 'Captain' sighed. "I would've broken into the base earlier but I doubt I could take on all the Sith in the base and get those damn codes without help." The refresher door opened and all eyes turned to Shaleena. "It would appear that those clothes suit you my dear."

Shaleena blushed slightly, "Do you really think so?"

"You look much better than you did in those rags." Trask said shyly. Carth and Zalbaar nodded in agreement while Mission whistled in appreciation. The clothes appeared to have been just the right size, the light brown vest complemented her dark hair and eyes perfectly and the outfit seemed to make her look like a perfect female spacer.

"Now all you need is a blaster and presto! One female spacer." 'Captain grinned at Shaleena's blush as she sat down.

"Alright can we please get back to business?" Bastila asked in exasperation.

"Don't get your panties in a twist, Princess." 'Captain' shifted his ice blue eyes to her storm grey ones.

"Why you-"

"Stow it Bastila." Carth cut in. "Remember arguing won't help anything."

Bastila took a deep breath, "You're right Carth. I need to remember the Jedi Code."

A loud snort from 'Captain' brought everyone's attention back to him, "That foolish code won't help us get those launch codes. Now here's what I have in mind: We sneak into the base and find those codes and get out fast."

"That's your plan?" Bastila asked incredulously.

"Surprise and stealth are the best options for something like this." 'Captain' explained, "Once the Sith figure out that their base is under attack, they call for all their patrols to come and wipe out the intruders. It's happened before. Davik Kang tried to do it but his forces were wiped out."

Canderous nodded, "I heard about that. It wasn't too long before Davik tried to recruit me after that failed attempt."

"So all we have to do is find the codes and run?" Shaleena asked.

"Yes but you are not coming with us." 'Captain informed her. He held up a hand to stop any argument. "Think about it, right now you have no combat experience and you've never even held, much less shot a blaster before. And in the heat of battle, we can't afford to worry about you. I'd feel much better if I knew that you were safe, Shal." 'Captain' flashed Shaleena a grin that nearly drove Bastila insane with lust. But somehow she managed to keep her emotions in check and her expression neutral.

"He's right girl." Canderous said gruffly, "This kind of operation is too dangerous for someone with no combat experience or special skills." His face softened slightly, "And I've seen far too many people foolishly throw their lives away for a chance to prove themselves to let you make the same mistake."

"Why you old softie." Carth grinned, "I didn't know you cared."

"Bah! I'm just trying to make the girl listen." Canderous snarled.

'Captain' stood up. "However someone is gonna have to stay here to watch over Shaleena."

"I will stay." Trask said.

'Captain' nodded, "Fine, stay here until we return." He headed for the door. "Let's go, and kid?"

"What?" Trask bristled at the term 'kid'.

"Keep her safe." 'Captain' said as he activated the comlink on his wrist, "T3 meet me at the entrance to the Sith base." A series of beeps and whistles answered him. "No HK will not be needed, just tell him to guard the ship." He shut off the comlink as he and the group, minus Trask and Shaleena, headed for the base.

"Damn it that was too close!" Carth yelled as he and Mission dived into an empty room, just as a pair of blaster bolts gouged holes into the spot where his head had been two seconds ago.

Their raid was going well, if you considered the fact that they had been forced to separate into small groups after less than ten minutes into the raid due to Zalbaar accidentally tripping an alarm by setting off an ion grenade to take out a squad of combat droids. The alarm brought more and more troops droids so in the end, they had to separate; Carth and Mission, Zalbaar went with Canderous and T3, leaving Bastila and 'Captain' as the remaining team.

"Mission can't you deactivate those droids?" He asked as he returned fire.

"I'm working on it!" She yelled as her fingers flew over the computer panel. "Just about done… there!" She crowed triumphantly. The war droids stopped firing and walked away.

"Thanks Mission." Carth breathed a sigh of relief, "What did you do?"

"I made it so that they would attack the Sith and not us." Mission grinned, "The others should be fine."

"I just hope that Bastila hasn't lost it and killed 'Captian' for annoying her." Carth said.

"Hey Princess!" 'Captain' called as he holstered his blasters, "They're not attacking any more. I'm betting Mission managed to slice them."

Bastila glared at her ally. "I told you not to call me-"

"Yeah, yeah. You know you love it." 'Captain' smirked. "Let's meet the others and find those codes." He activated his comlink. "Hey guys lock on to my signal and meet us here. Oh by the way Mission nice job."

"Thanks Captain!" Mission's voice came though the comlink just before Canderous interrupted.

"We found out where the codes are."

"Really?"

"Your droid hacked their system and apparently the codes are with the guy running this joint on the highest level. You and Bastila are right near the only elevator that goes to that level."

"Got it." 'Captain' said "Meet us at the entrance. We'll get there as soon as we have the codes."

"Are you sure about this?" Bastila asked, "The one in charge is Force Sensitive you know."

'Captain' nodded, "Yep and seeing that you are a Jedi, Princess…" Bastila scowled at him, "I figure that we can handle whatever this guy throws at us." He grinned and headed for the elevator.

"He's absolutely impossible." Bastila muttered under her breath as she followed him into the turbolift.

"Who dares disturb my meditation?" The Sith Governor demanded as Bastila and her companion entered the room. "I will have you… wait I sense the Force is very strong in you." His eyes widened as he looked at Bastila's companion. "How is it that you have eluded my notice?"

'Captain' sneered, "I'm very good at hiding myself and add that to the fact that you're so weak just like the rest of your kind, it's easy to conceal my presence."

"How dare you!" The Governor snarled, "I'll kill you and my master will reward me with my lightsa-" A blaster bolt struck his head and he fell to the floor dead as 'Captain' holstered his blaster.

"When you're gonna kill, kill don't talk." 'Captain' said coldly as he holstered the blaster pistol he had used to dispatch the Governor and started to rummage through a footlocker. "Got the codes. Let's get out of here."

"If it was this easy why did you have me come with you?" Bastila asked puzzled.

"I actually expected him to be more skilled than he was." Her companion shrugged. "I thought that Malak would have left someone with some skill here to watch over things. Especially with the rumors."

"What rumors?"

"Oh nothing much except that there was supposedly a couple of Jedi Holocrons on Taris." 'Captain' shrugged. "Well the rumors were true… to some extent."

"What do you mean?" Bastila demanded.

"Oh there were a pair of Holocrons here, but one was destroyed by the rancor that lived in the sewers before I could get to it. Fortunately I managed to get to the other one before the Sith or anyone else could find them."

"Well as a member of the Jedi Order I must demand that you hand it over to me Captain." Bastila commanded.

'Captain' rolled his eyes, "Sorry, but right now ain't the time to argue over ownership. Let's get off this dejarek board of a planet first Princess."

"I TOLD YOU TO STOP CALLING ME PRINCESS!" Bastila shrieked in fury.

"Whatever." Her companion rolled his eyes again and activated his comlink. "Hey guys we're on our way and we've got the codes. Meet you at the entrance soon. Captain out."

"You summoned me Lord Malak?" Admiral Saul Kareth stood behind the Sith Lord on the Bridge of the _Leviathan_, Malak's Flagship.

"The search for Bastila is taking too long." Malak's mechanical voice sounded unusually colder, "We cannot risk her escaping Taris. Destroy the entire planet."

Kareth was shocked, "Th-the entire planet? But there are billions of people on Taris! We'd be slaughtering countless innocent civilians not to mention our own men still on the surface!"

Malak turned and glared at him. Saul Kareth was no coward, but the intensity of Malak's glare caused him to take a step back. "Your predecessor was foolish enough to question my orders twice. Surely you are to so foolish as to make the same mistake?"

"Of-of course not Lord Malak. But it will take some time to position our fleet."

"Then I suggest you begin immediately. You are dismissed Admiral." Malak snarled as he turned back to the viewport.

"Yes Lord Malak." The Admiral bowed and turned to carry out his orders. '_I thought that Telos would be the last planet bombed in this war. Now I have to watch yet another planet die._' He thought sadly, remembering how he had refused to destroy Telos, and how Malak had given the order himself and forced Kareth to watch his home die. He had felt devastated. He remembered the pain in his heart. Pain that he still felt after two-and-a-half-years.

"Well that was fun." 'Captain' said as he gave the codes to T3, "T3 take these codes to the _Hawk_ and prep the ship for launch, and make sure everything is locked up before we get there. I don't want the Sith snooping around."

The droid whistled and beeped as it set off. Bastila could no longer hold it in. "You think that was EASY?"

'Captain' smirked, "That Sith Governor was a pushover and since we're all alive, I'd say yeah, that was easy."

"Alright we've done our part now you do yours." Carth said gruffly.

'Captain' put a hand on his heart in a theatrical gesture "Why Carth, I'm hurt. You actually think that I would betray you."

"I don't trust easily." Carth spat.

"Hey ease up will ya?" 'Captain' put up his hands in a surrendering gesture, "I don't go back on a promise. I said that I'd get ya off Taris to anywhere you wanted and I will."

"Quiet you two." Bastila commanded, "Let's just get our friends and get out of here."

'Captain' smirked an made an over exaggerated bow, "As you command, Your Highness."

/She is right./ Zalbaar said, /The sooner we leave, the sooner we can relax./

"Well then, let's grab Shaleena and Trask and get the hell out of here." Mission said as the party hurried towards the apartment complex.

Unknown to them however, they were being followed by someone. Someone who was talking into a comlink.

"Shaleena, Trask, grab your stuff and let's go." Carth said as he and the others entered the apartment.

"Is everyone alright?" Trask asked as he and Shaleena did as they were told.

"We got the codes now let's go before the Sith realize-" 'Captain' started to say as he checked the hallway when…

"FREEZE!"

"Oh Stang!" 'Captain' cursed as a large squad of Sith troops and droids ran towards them. "RUN!" He shouted as he pulled out a flash grenade and threw it. No one questioned the order. The whole group ran to the turbolift and shut the doors behind them.

"SITHSPIT! How the hell did they find us?" Canderous cursed.

"We must have picked up a tail after we left the base." 'Captain' said as he checked his blasters. He activated his comlink. "T3 is the ship ready yet?" A beep answered him. "Good. Tell HK to be on the lookout for any snooping Sith. Tell him that I'm on my way with our cargo."

The turbolift doors opened and the group hastily made their way through the streets of the Upper City. "Follow me, my ship is docked at the spaceport!" 'Captain' called as he led the group towards the spaceport.

"HALT CIVILIANS! STOP IN THE NAME OF LORD MALAK!" A Sith trooper called out as another squad started to pursue the fleeing group.

"DAMN IT! COME ON!"

The group somehow managed to stay ahead of their pursuers until they reached the spaceport.

"Sithspit!" 'Captain' cursed as he saw the Sith troopers guarding the door.

"Zalbaar, Carth, Mission, come with me." Bastila said " Canderous, Trask, you and 'Captain' cover our backs."

Had she put a little emphasis on his alias? 'Captain' wondered as he turned and saw a Sith trooper aim an RPG launcher at Trask and Shaleena. "OH STANG!" He shouted as he called on the Force and pulled the two of them out of harm's way. A second later the RPG struck the ground where they had been standing. Now he was more than mad; he was seriously pissed off.

"What the hell?" Canderous looked at the man in amazement as 'Captain' strode forward, heedless of the blaster bolts flying in his direction. Shaleena, Canderous, and Trask both stared openmouthed as 'Captain' drew out his customized blaster pistols and proceeded to gun down every Sith soldier and war droid faster than anything they had ever seen. Once the last droid fell in a smoking pile, 'Captain' turned and ran back to the group as another battalion rounded the corner.

"MOVE IT!" Where had Canderous heard that voice before? It sounded so familiar. Canderous ran inside the hanger and laid down cover fire with his heavy repeater as Trask, Shaleena, and 'Captain' ran inside. Once they were inside, he shut the blast doors and destroyed the controls.

Just as he did so, 'Captain' let out an angry cry. "MY SHIP!" Carth and the others looked at it. The _Ebon Hawk_ was a _Dynamic_-class freighter roughly resembling a "D" with inward curves at the ends of the outer prongs, with a center prong flush with them, and with a concave curve to the vertical line. Visualizing the open side as the bow, the _Hawk_'s mass filled out the stern to the shape's midpoint and left only a small prong on the starboard side. The center of the ship had a gunner's turret on both ventral and dorsal sides. On the port and starboard sides were quad laser turret emplacements. The ship was painted primarily white with the three prongs were accented in red on the bow, as well as the dorsal and ventral sides. Towards the stern, on both the latter two sides, there were concave red stripes that curved parallel to the ship's stern from the center prong to the outer two, originating from the outward sides of two cylindrical engines, which met the center prong at its base and extended outward to port and starboard. This formed a symmetrical acute angle across the dorsal side on the longitudinal axis, with legs that met the rear curve. All along the outward-facing sides of these engines was another red stripe. Then they saw what had caused 'Captain' to shout; a large piece of debris, knocked loose by the firefight, had fallen on the ship and had left a large gouge in the ship's hull not too far from the engines.

"Will she fly?" Bastila asked worriedly.

"She's not pretty Princess, but she's tough." 'Captain' said just as the destroyed hanger access doors were blasted into the hanger, revealing two figures in dark cloaks.

"Captain prep your ship, this is my fight." Bastila said as she strode forward, only to be knocked unconscious by a tall rust colored droid before she had taken two steps.

"**Statement: What a stupid female meatbag.**"

"Thanks HK. All of you get on the ship. I'll handle this." 'Captain' said as he strode forward, grabbing Bastila's double-sided lightsaber.

"**Order: Get onboard the ship now!**" The droid's red eyes seemed to flash dangerously as it carried the stirring Bastila onto the _Ebon Hawk_. The rest of the group followed.

"I know I'm gonna regret this." 'Captain said as he approached the two Dark Jedi. Based on their clothing, he concluded that the masked one was the Master and the tattooed Zabrack was the Apprentice. He had been wrong; apparently Malak _had_ left some Dark Jedi on Taris. Activating the two yellow blades of his borrowed weapon, he charged at the pair. The two each activated a single one bladed red colored lightsaber and met his charge. As he parried and dodged the onslaught of attacks, 'Captain' observed their styles and noticed that both were Djem So stylists. Well he knew how to beat that. He had after all not only mastered all six styles but had been the creator of the seventh alongside Master Kavar. As the two Sith continued to attack, 'Captain' was forced to admit that he had been wrong again; Malak had left some strong Sith in charge. But he needed to escape before the Sith turned the planet into dust. He sighed as he caught a barrage of Force Lightning with his bare hand and sent it flying back at its caster who was forced to use his lightsaber to deflect it. 'Captain' switched from Soresu to Juyo and in a matter of seconds, removed the head of the Zabrack. Before the masked Sith could make a move to avenge his Apprentice, one of the yellow blades impaled him through his heart. 'Captain' deactivated the double-sided lightsaber as he ran to his ship just as the planetary bombs started to drop.

Bastila stared out the cockpit viewport in shock. She had just seen without a doubt the greatest control of a lightsaber in her life. And the man wielding it was just a simple spacer. Or was he? Spacers didn't just instinctively know how to handle a weapon as exotic as a lightsaber, this man was growing more and more interesting. And how in the name of the Force had he caught the Sith's Lightning with his bare hand? She didn't have time to wonder as 'Captain' darted into the cockpit and leaped into the pilot's seat. "T3 Prep the main guns!" He called out as he took off and piloted the ship, weaving it through the turbolaser fire of the orbiting Sith ships. As the ship blasted into space, Bastila gasped at the sight of the Sith fleet. There had to be at least ten capital class ships and multiple Sith fighters were swarming towards them. "GET IN THE TURRETS NOW!" 'Captain' roared as he flew his ship through the Sith starfighters.

Carth and Canderous ran to the gun turrets. Canderous climbed into the upper turret while Carth leaped into the lower one. "DIE SITHSPAWN!" Carth yelled as the pair turned Sith starfighters into dust.

Bastila shook off her stupor and scrambled into the copilot's seat. "Plot a course for Dantooine, there's a Jedi Enclave there where we can seek shelter.

'_Meeting with the Jedi Masters isn't exactly at the top of my list but I did promise to take them anywhere. And Dantooine is the closest place with what I'm looking for, so might as well go there. With any luck, Master Vrook will have changed by now._' 'Captain' thought as he hastily input the coordinates and resumed his masterful piloting. Suddenly he grinned and headed right at the closest Sith warship. Skimming the surface, he wove the ship through a maze of turrets and struts. He smirked; his gambit had paid off, the Sith fighers had less room to maneuver and were now easier targets for Carth and Canderous. Unfortunetly it also meant that the _Ebon Hawk_ was an easier target. He activated the _Hawk's_ intercom and ordered, "Keep them off me! Hyperdrive's nearly ready!" He shut off the intercom and angled the ship the pass directly in front of the bridge viewport. He grinned as he imagined the terrified expressions of the Sith as his ship flashed literally half a meter in front of their viewport. Just as the _Ebon Hawk_ passed the stern of the warship, he pulled the activation lever for the hyperdrive and was slammed back into his chair as the stars turned into streamlines and the ship entered hyperspace. With a sigh of relief he leaned back in his chair. "That was close."

"I agree. And now 'Captain' tell me just who are you?" Bastila demanded.

"Right now I'm your ticket to Dantooine, Princess." 'Captain' said, "That's all you need to know."

"Oh really?" Bastila cocked an eyebrow. "You just displayed the best piloting I've ever seen, used the Force to save Trask and Shallena, and on top of that you displayed total control of a weapon that very few beings have ever mastered, even Jedi, so I ask again: Who in the name of the Force are you?"

"Oh that reminds me…" 'Captain' said casually as he handed her weapon back to her. "I believe this is yours."

"Answer the question!" Bastila all but snarled as 'Captain' stood up and exited the cockpit.

"I am who I am." 'Captain replied. "That's all I'm going to say now if you'll excuse me Princess, I need to check the engines and the hyperdrive." He headed for the engine room in the stern of the ship.

Bastila groaned, she hated riddles. Sighing, she sent a message to the Jedi Enclave before going to talk to the rest of her group about the identity of their mysterious rescuer.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: 'Captain's' Identity Revealed**

"Dantooine…" Bastila said wistfully looking out the viewport alongside Carth, who was sitting in the copilot's chair while 'Captain' piloted. As they came in, the ship's computer was given flight instructions for a landing zone which 'Captain' punched into the ship's computer and steered the ship to the docking bay of the enclave they saw out the window. "It seems like a lifetime since I last set foot on her surface, though in truth it has only been a few months. We should be safe from Malak here… for now, at least."

"Safe? You saw what his fleet did to Taris: there wasn't a building over two stories high left standing! They… they turned the planet into one big pile of rubble." Carth said.

"I agree with Carth." 'Captain' said as he landed in the docking bay. "Malak will come to this place eventually and he will destroy it."

"Even the Sith would think twice before attacking Dantooine." Bastila retorted, "There are many Jedi here, including several of the most powerful Masters of the Order. There is great strength within this place. We need to regroup; we need a plan. We can get supplies here and recuperate. The Academy is a place of mental and spiritual healing; something we could all use after what we've been through."

"Maybe you're right. It isn't easy to witness the annihilation of an entire planet. I know Mission and Shaleena must be taking it pretty hard." Carth said softly. 'Captain' caught a few vibes from the Telosian Republic pilot that he was thinking about himself and Telos, but quickly pushed those thoughts aside, they wouldn't help him here.

"They will find a way to come to terms with their grief. They are stronger than they appear. We just need to give them time." Bastila droned. "Now we need to go speak to the Jedi Council."

"Woah, woah, woah, what's with this 'we' talk?" 'Captain' protested, "I did my job, I've got no obligation to meet with them."

Bastila glared at him. "The Jedi Council wish to speak with you immediately."

'Captain' sighed, he knew that look; it was the look of a stubborn woman who would not accept 'No' for an answer. "Fine, fine." He grumbled. "Let's get this over with." He glared at Bastila, "But if I'm gonna suffer then all my _cargo_ are gonna suffer with me. Every one's gonna meet with your Jedi Council."

"The Masters want to meet with you alone." Bastila protested.

"Tough luck. I thought that the Jedi were supposed to be open to everyone not just a few select individuals or am I wrong?" 'Captain' glared at the Jedi Padawan.

"B-but… that's…" Bastila trailed off as 'Captain' exited the cockpit and started to tell the rest of the group that they were going to meet the Jedi Council. "_That man is absolutely infuriating_!" She snarled as Carth laughed and the two of them rejoined their companions and left to go meet with the Jedi Council.

"Did you feel that?" Zhar looked at the other three Jedi Masters. "That Force Signature is unmistakable."

"Indeed." Vrook looked sour, "It appears that he has indeed returned but what is he doing here?"

"I believe that we shall find out shortly." Vandar murmured as he watched the group enter the Council chambers.

'Captain' kept his head down so that his hat covered his face. He really, _really_ didn't want to talk to the Jedi Council. Especially Master Vrook. He disliked the dogmatic narrow minded Jedi Master immensely and would rather escape Taris again than talk to Vrook Lamar. His companions seemed to be in awe of the four Jedi Masters in front of them. All except for Canderous and who could blame him for not being in awe? Canderous had served alongside better Jedi than them during the Mandelorian War. Poor Shaleena though, was absolutely terrified. "Relax Shal." He whispered as they entered the chamber. "It'll be okay." He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"Padawan Bastila, Why are these others here? I thought we told you only to bring the one who killed the two Sith to us. This is not for the ears of outsiders!" 'Captain' winced at the voice of Master Vrook. By the Force the man hadn't changed at all!

"Forgive me Masters but-" Bastila started but 'Captain' interrupted her and stepped forward.

"I told her that the only way I would meet with you is if everyone of the people I rescued from Taris was with us." He snapped. "And here I thought that Jedi were supposed to be kind and compassionate, not arrogant and secretive."

Vrook reeled back as if he had been punched. A look of shock on his face at the blatant disrespect. Master Zhar stepped forward hoping to diffuse the situation before it got out of hand. "You do have a point. Greetings to you all. I am Master Zhar of the Jedi High Council. With me are Master Dorak." He indicated the older dark skinned master. "Master Vandar." Zhar indicated the short imp-like Jedi Master, "And Master Vrook" The Twi'lek master indicated the balding Jedi Master. "Now might we know the names of our visitors?" He asked kindly.

"Carth Onasi; Republic pilot and Commander in the Republic Navy." Carth said with a bow.

"Trask Ulgo; ensign with the Republic Fleet." Trask gave a stiff bow.

"I'm Mission Vao" Mission said also bowing.

/My name is Zalbaar./ The Wookie said with a formal bow.

"Canderous of the Mandalorian Clan Ordo." Canderous said but did not bow.

"**Statement: Droid designation HK-47.**" The red droid said, also refusing to bow.

T3-M4 let out a series of beeps but, because of his design as an astromech droid, did not bow.

"M-my n-name is Sh-Shaleena sirs." Shaleena nervously stuttered as she bowed.

"And of course we already know Padawan Bastila and you." Master Vandar looked directly at 'Captain' who returned Vandar's stare with one of his own.

"Huh?" Mission was confused, "You already know 'Captain'?"

"Oh yes we know him." Master Dorak said.

"Okay I'm officially confused." Mission said "How the heck does he know four Jedi Masters?"

"So you didn't tell them?" Vrook sneered, "How like you to deceive your followers."

"They are not 'my followers' Vrook." 'Captain' glared at the balding Jedi. "I only agreed to get them off Taris. I had no intention of coming to see _you_." Practically everyone winced at the venom in the man's voice when he said the word 'you'. "Now why did you want to talk to me? Cause if its only to try and berate me for my past then don't waste my time. I have other matters here to attend to."

"You are still as arrogant as always." Vrook said flatly.

"And you're just as narrow minded, blind, and dogmatic as you were the day I left!" 'Captain' snarled. "If you and Atris hadn't let your pride blind you then none of this would have happened, Vrook!"

Bastila and her companions were shocked; 'Captain' was showing outright rudeness to the members of the Jedi High Council and had now just blatantly insulted Master Vrook.

"How dare you?" Vrook snarled.

"ENOUGH!" Everyone jumped at the loudness of Master Vandar's voice. "We did not ask him to come here to discuss what happened in the past Master Vrook." The small green Jedi Master glared at his colleague. "What's done is done, and we have no right to judge this man for the actions of his friend. Control yourself Master Vrook!" The Jedi Master turned to 'Captain' "My apologies. Master Vrook has had a hard time letting go of the past."

"So I see." 'Captain' kept his voice neutral. "So what did you want to talk to me about Master Vandar?"

"Um… Excuse me?" Mission asked.

"Yes?" Master Zhar looked at the young Twi'lek.

"Just how exactly do you know 'Captain'." Mission asked, "And what did Master Vrook mean when he said that 'Captain' was deceiving us?"

Zhar sighed, "With your permission?" He looked at 'Captain' who nodded. "We know this man because he once trained here at this academy a long time ago. In fact he was once my Padawan." All eyes snapped towards 'Captain'. "He was my greatest student and quickly became the youngest Jedi Knight and had been very close to being appointed as a Jedi Master and being given a seat on the Jedi High Council when the Mandelorian War broke out."

Bastila gasped, seats on the High Council weren't handed out lightly. And this smuggler, who couldn't be more that 25 years old, had nearly been appointed a member of the Jedi High Council! By the Force who was this man? She noticed similar stares of shock and disbelief plastered on the faces of her companions. All except for Canderous, who had a look of dawning comprehension on his face.

Master Zhar continued his narrative, "My former student along with several other Jedi Knights and even a Master or two went before the Jedi High Council and begged us to aid the Republic, however the High Council refused and the Jedi present, along with my former student, left to join the war. He rose quickly through the ranks due to his natural talent not only as a warrior, but as a brilliant tactician and charismatic leader. The Mandalorians quickly began to lose ground until that final battle at Malachor V where the Mandalorians were defeated. However most of the fleet disappeared into the Unknown Regions and two years later Malak returned with his Sith forces."

"So who exactly was your former student Master Zhar?" Bastila asked slowly.

Zhar smiled with undisguised pride at his former student. "My former student is one that is not only known as a brilliant strategist and leader, but also the creator of the seventh form of lightsaber combat; Juyo. My former student was and is Revan Qel-Droma, of the Mandalorian Clan Bloodraven."

The group gasped, the man who had saved them from being destroyed on Taris was none other than the savior of the Republic! "So now you know." Revan muttered sadly as the group took a reflexive step back. They were in the presence of a hero and they had treated him like a commoner! Bastila especially had a look of awe on her face; she had fought alongside one of the Jedi legends. He had even used her lightsaber!

"Tell me Revan." Vandar spoke, "Why didn't you return with Malak?"

"Malak, the rest of the soldiers, and Jedi were corrupted by what we found in the Unknown Regions." Revan replied. "I was barely strong enough to escape before my friends and fellow soldiers slaughtered me, but not without a price."

"What do you mean?" Master Dorak asked, eager to record this information in the Archives.

"When we left known space we came across a planet." Revan said, "And on that planet we found something that absolutely terrified me that day."

"What was it?" Carth asked, wondering what could inspire absolute terror into one such as Revan.

"The True Sith." Revan said. "A small group of them managed to survive the Great Hyperspace War and have been plotting their revenge ever since."

Everyone but Mission, Zalbaar, Trask, and Shaleena were frozen with horror at Revan's revelation.

"What are these True Sith?" Mission asked. "I thought Malak was a Sith."

"Malak is but a pawn following the ideals of the True Sith." Revan said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "They sent him to start their revenge."

"A likely story!" Vrook snorted. "But unless you have explicit proof, I see no reason to believe the words of a traitor to the Jedi."

Revan looked at him in disbelief. "I never lie, Vrook. You of all people know that."

"That was before you betrayed the Jedi by going to war! For all we know, you could be one of Malak's pawns!"

Revan's last ounce of patience with Vrook vanished. Moving at an inhumane speed, he darted forward and slammed Vrook into the far wall, holding the man by the throat. "I've had enough of this _Master_ Vrook! You have let your foolish pride and arrogance blind you to the fact that I am telling the truth! Even if I shoved proof right in your face, you would claim it to be lies." He hissed. "You have become just like Malak. I knew something like this would happen if I returned here. But I never even dreamed that someone like you would let your hatred for me control you. You are no different than Malak."

The room was eerily silent as Revan dropped Vrook, turned, and started to walk away. But before he had taken fifteen steps, a raw throated yell came from behind him. Acting on pure instinct, Revan performed a Force enhanced back flip over the enraged Jedi Master calling out, "T3 NOW!"

The utility droid beeped and Bastila saw it launch a curved metal cylinder from a concealed compartment. The cylinder flew into Revan's outstretched hand and with a _snap-hiss_ a silver blade extended from the hilt of the lightsaber in Revan's hand. Revan landed and swung his blade in a smooth parry to Vrook's sideways strike. "No one interfere! This is my fight alone!"

Vrook's face was set in a snarl as the Jedi Master kept up a relentless barrage of attacks. Bastila grimaced as she recalled that Master Vrook was considered the master of Ataru. Ataru was the fourth style of lightsaber combat and was _extremely_ effective against a single opponent. Although it was not meant to be utilized in confined spaces due to its reliance on acrobatics, Master Vrook appeared to be using it to its full potential. Vrook's green-white blade was a blur as he relentlessly attacked Revan. Revan's face was one of regret. He really didn't want to kill Vrook, but the Jedi Master wasn't really giving him any option. Revan switched to Soresu; the third form of lightsaber combat and by far the most effective at defending oneself from attacks.

Master Zhar watched the duel with a mixture of horror and pride. He was horrified by the actions of one of his closest friends but his eyes lit up in pride as he saw that his old student was doing his hardest to disarm the Jedi Master. It wasn't for nothing that Revan had held the title of 'Blademaster' even before the Mandalorian War. His form and technique were flawless; never giving Vrook the slightest opening, but he was also holding back. He really didn't want Vrook to die.

Revan sighed; it was painfully obvious that Vrook would not stop. The duel had been commencing for several minutes. He wasn't actually toying with Vrook but the man refused to give up. It was time to end this. Revan blasted Vrook out of the Enclave Council Chamber and into the Central Courtyard. He leaped after the Ataru Master. Vrook had recovered by this time and leaped to meet Revan's charge. Padawans and Knights looked on in confusion as Master Vrook dueled with a man in a smuggler's outfit and holding a _silver_ bladed lightsaber. Those who had experience with lightsaber combat recognized that the smuggler was utilizing Juyo. The silver blade was a blur as it forced Vrook to continuously give ground. Revan smiled inside, it had been far too long since he had been able to something like this; to duel a true master of lightsaber combat. But it was time to end this before someone got hurt. Revan saw an opening in Vrook's defense and took it. With a sudden twist of his hand, his blade sliced through Vrook's lightsaber hilt, leaving the Jedi Master with a useless hilt. Before the shock could register in Vrook's eyes, Revan had slammed his boot into the Master's stomach, doubling the man over for lack of breath, immediately followed by a paralyzing hand chop to the back of the neck; effectively knocking Vrook unconscious.

With another _snap-hiss_, Revan deactivated his lightsaber, clipped it onto his belt, and walked over to where his companions and the three remaining Jedi Masters were. Revan internally smirked at the look of pure awe on Bastila's face, though he kept his face carefully schooled as he readjusted his hat. "I see your prowess with a blade hasn't dulled, Revan." Vandar said.

Revan ignored the murmurs of the Padawans and Knights behind him. "I suppose that you want my help against my old friend?"

Zhar nodded, "It would be most appreciated if you did."

Revan snorted, "Sorry but my days as a General and as a member of the Order are over."

Zhar actually took a step back in shock, "What?"

"Vrook was right; I stopped being a member of the Order the moment that I went to war. While I was in the Unknown Regions I was subjected to the teachings of the True Sith."

Bastila interrupted, "But you came back to the Light Side!"

Revan shook his head, "No, the Dark Side will never leave me. I'm afraid that there is now a balance of Light and Dark in me."

Zhar nodded in understanding, "So you have chosen to walk the path of the Grey Jedi then?"

Revan nodded. "I have no choice but to follow the way of balance."

Vandar stepped forward. "Jedi you may not be, but you will always be seen as an ally to the Republic and a friend to us. You will always be welcome here."

"Then I guess that I should start balancing the scales then." Revan grinned, "And I know just what to do."

"And what's that?" Master Dorak asked.

"Malak is using an ancient Force artifact called the Star Forge to mass produce his fleet for his masters." Revan said. "I don't know where it is, but I do know that a Star Map in the old ruins may hold the secret. I intend to find the Star Forge and build a fleet to take out the True Sith. With your permission, I will go explore them."

Zhar nodded, "By all means. But take Padawan Bastila with you on your exploration. This is, after all, a Jedi affair. Rest assured, we shall look after your companions until you return."

"Fine but a word of warning Princess, if you fall behind, I leave you behind. I don't have time to babysit." Revan said as he started to walk towards the Enclave's exit.

"HEY! Wait for me!" Carth called out, "This isn't only a Jedi matter! It concerns the Republic as well. I'm coming with you."

Revan shrugged and continued walking with Bastila and Carth in tow. "Whatever."

A few hours later:

Revan and his two companions walked at a brisk pace across the plains of Dantooine. He frowned as he sensed a being that had a taint of darkness. It seemed to be getting closer. So deep was his concentration that he half heard Carth's question. "Sorry Carth, could you repeat that?"

"I said, why didn't you rejoin the Republic Fleet once you escaped from those True Sith?"

"Several reasons." Revan replied, "Chief of which is that I needed to come to terms with the darkness inside me. Also I knew that the Sith were looking for any artifacts of their old empire as well as any Jedi ones. I knew that a full scale investigation would not yield any favorable results."

"So you became a smuggler to find them through less legal means?" Bastila asked. Was it his imagination or did he detect a hint of admiration in her voice?

"Yep. How many people who spend their lives on the opposite side of the law would be willing to give information to someone they've spent their whole lives running from? I figured that they'd be more willing to talk to one of their own." Revan said. "I managed to collect quite a few artifacts and Holocrons from both Jedi and Sith."

"And you didn't turn them over to the Jedi Order?" Bastila asked incredulously.

"Of course not. If I did, then when Malak and his masters made their appearance, their first target would be the Jedi Temples. So I did several things with the artifacts. Some I hid in secure locations, others I left with trusted people. The Holocrons I kept and learned from." Revan said, "And yes I did learn from the Sith Holocrons. I won't tell you why because you wouldn't understand."

"And why wouldn't we understand?" Carth demanded.

"I meant our resident Jedi Princess wouldn't understand." Revan said. "Sufficient to say, I studied them to learn about them."

Suddenly a voice rang out, "I WILL BE YOU DOOM!" Bastila and Carth had no time to react as a red robed Cathar woman in her early twenties leaped out of hiding and used the Force to put them in a stasis field. Revan had dived out of the way and sprang to his feet as a red blade snarled into existence from the lightsaber hilt in the woman's hand. Revan ignited his own blade and leaped forward, moving his blade in a classic Makashi flurry. The Cathar responded by attacking in a classic Djem So style. Revan changed styles immediately, knowing that Makashi simply could not stand up to Djem So for very long. Switching to Ataru, he realized that he needn't have bothered; his opponent was letting her anger cloud her mind and as a result, she was unprepared for Revan to leap over her and plant both feet in the small of her back. She let out a grunt as her lightsaber flew out of her hands and sailed into Revan's outstretched palm. She fell to her knees. "You! You are strong, stronger than me, even in my darkness! How is that possible?"

"Quite simple." Revan said, deactivating both blades. "Neither side is stronger than the other. Also it helps to not let your emotions rule you during battle."

"I see." The Cathar woman stared at the ground. "So what will you do with me, Master Jedi?" She was completely surprised when the grey clad man behind her started chuckling. "What is so funny?"

"I'm no member of the Jedi Order."

"What? But your power is the greatest I've ever seen! Surely you are not a Sith!"

The laughter cut off sharply, "I'm no Sith!" The man all but hissed, "And I am no Jedi. But enough about me, let's talk about why you attacked me."

The Cathar woman hung her head, "I slew my Master, Quatra in anger and fled out here, knowing that I would be banished from the Order. Master Vrook is extremely adamant about emotions."

"So your fear of the old fool made you leave and hide out here." Revan shook his head, "I see I'm not the only one who dislikes Vrook Lamar. Regardless you should not give in to depression. It will only lead to self destruction. I suggest that you go back to the Jedi Council and ask for their advice."

"But Master Vrook-"

"Is currently incapacitated at the moment." Revan interrupted as he walked in front of her. "And I think that the other Masters will be much more lenient than Vrook."

"You would spare me?" The woman raised her head, eyes brimming with tears of joy.

Revan took a step back in shock. He thought he had recognized the Cathar woman and when he saw her expression, it clicked. "It can't be…" He murmured. "Is that you Juhani?"

"How do you know my name." Juhani asked as she started to stand up.

"I doubt you'd remember but we met once on Taris." Revan said, a slow grin appearing on his handsome face. "It was during the Mandalorian War. I led a small group of Jedi and a Mandalorian defector in breaking up a slave auction and among those slaves was a young Cathar girl." Revan's grin widened, "As I recall she made a surprising friendship with the Mandalorian. One Canderous Ordo."

Juhani's eyes widened and realization sprang to her eyes. "Re-Revan?"

"The one and only." Revan flashed his trademark cocky yet confidant grin.

Juhani stared in shock. "But… But we were all told that you had died after you and Malak disappeared!"

"Not exactly." Revan said casually. "Oh by the way, Canderous Ordo is at the Jedi Enclave at the moment if you're interested in seeing him again."

Juhani's eyes lit up even more if that was possible and she stood up. "Thank you, Master Revan! I must go now and talk to the Jedi Council."

Revan nodded and handed her back her lightsaber. "If I were you, I might consider changing the color of your blade. Wouldn't want anyone to mistake you for a Sith now would you?" He flashed her another grin as Juhani raced off in the direction of the Enclave. With a wave of his hand, Bastila and Carth were released from their Force induced stasis.

"That was a noble thing you just did." Bastila commented.

"Not really." Revan shrugged. "I mostly considered it to be another way to get under Vrook's skin. Me, the one person besides Malak that he despises, actually redeeming someone from the Dark Side." Carth burst into uncontrollable laughter and even Bastila could not prevent herself from laughing.

"Revan I have the feeling that this is the start of a beautiful friendship!" Carth said as the three approached the old ruins.


End file.
